Pros and Cons of OLED Displays

OLED displays are lighter, thinner, produce brighter colors and offer better viewing angles. In spite of all these advantages, these displays are still expensive and are prone to water damage. This article will tell you what all manufacturers already know about the working of OLED displays.

Techspirited Staff

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diodes and this is the latest technology that is being incorporated in HDTV sets in the consumer electronics market. The constant aim of manufacturers in this market is to devise new technologies that produce sharper images, more vibrant colors and also consume lesser energy at the same time. As a result of this, full-HD viewing has become the norm in many households, especially since there are so many different variants of HDTV sets that are available in the market.

LED technology raised the bar higher since its introduction, and OLED is simply the next step in this evolution. OLEDs are also commonly used in the display screens of mobile devices and portable music players, and there is a reason why it is so immensely popular today. The technology has been around since 2005 but it is only in the last few years that TV sets have witnessed a phenomenal growth in OLED TV sales.

More on OLED Displays

Like all other display technologies, OLED also works when an electric current causes a reaction in certain organic materials. This organic material is placed between two electrodes and this is what it makes it volatile enough to emit light when it comes into contact with an electric current. The current itself travels from the cathode to the anode and in the process, the emissive layer of the organic materials emit light when its electrons react. Depending on the type of molecules used and the number of electrons that are released, the color, the brightness and the sharpness of the produced image is determined. The matrix in which the organic material is placed also affects the output of the picture.

The Advantages of OLED Displays

The biggest advantage is that it is emissive in nature, which means that it produces its own light. This leads to better viewing angles than say, LCD displays, which block light and thus lead to smaller viewing angles. The organic material layers in the display are also made of plastic, hence they are lighter, cheaper, thinner and more flexible. Manufacturers are greatly preferring OLED displays for this very reason, even though the whole cost of the packaged production is still quite high. Additionally, since they are emissive, they consume lesser power since there is no backlighting required, and this also causes the display to look brighter and sharper than competing display technologies (because the pure blacks are darker with the help of LED technology).

The Disadvantages of OLED Displays

While all the benefits are well and good, there are certain drawbacks that should be remembered and considered as well. You should know that OLED displays are very sensitive to water, and even the slightest contact can ruin the display permanently. This is especially true in the case of mobile phone screens and other portable device screens. Additionally, the lifetimes of OLED displays are not as high as those of LED displays or LCD displays, and this also leads to a higher cost of production for such displays. As a result, they are generally more expensive than other display screens. As time goes by these prices will fall, and they will become more economical and effective. Another problem which will be solved soon is that visibility in sunlight is quite low. This severely hampers the progress of this technology in the realm of portable and mobile devices.

All of these pros and cons are well-known to manufacturers and they are constantly working on methods and processes to enhance the benefits and reduce the drawbacks. The ultimate aim is to bring down the costs of production and this is something that will eventually happen as more people purchase this technology. The quality of output that OLED produces shows us that this is definitely where the future of display technology is heading, so you can rest assured that this is a technology that is here to stay.